Ivica Dacic
The speaker of the Serbian parliament, Ivica Dacic, said on Dec. 19 that the opposition was using constitutional amendments to regroup ahead of elections, but that it would be important to citizens for the Jan. 16 referendum to succeed.
Dacic told Pink TV that the decision to amend the Constitution had been passed and could not be changed now, and that the changes pertained solely to the justice system, or, more specifically, the appointment of judges and prosecutors, who will no longer be appointed by the parliament, but by the High Judicial Council and the State Council of Prosecutors.
He added that comparative law provided few alternatives, with judges being picked by the parliament, independent bodies, even by governments, and sometimes directly by citizens. He said that it ought to suit him, as a member of the parliament, for the referendum to fail and for MPs to continue appointing judges and prosecutors.
"It's as if the parliament wants to take its own power away. Politicians and the government, however, should get more involved in the campaign and explain that amending the Constitution is important for all citizens," Dacic said, adding that without the proposed amendments Cluster Four in negotiations with the European Union would never have been opened.
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